Rosie Shalhoub is a legendary Sydney retailer, a psychic and a visionary whose incredible energy and insight have made her shop Embrace at Miranda a destination for all spiritually-minded Sydneysiders. Most recently Rosie has become the motivating force behind the Festival of Dreams, a Spiritual Expo which is on this month in Sydney at the Hordern Pavilion - August 23 and 24.

One of the little guys at Embrace, Miranda - Rosie's shop

I had a chat with Rosie about spirituality and not giving in to defeat:

How do you think we can keep our dreams in mind, and not g ive ourselves up to defeat, negativity or procrastination?

There have been many times I have given in to defeat and procrastination. It always seems the easier thing to do. Sometimes it may last for a day sometimes only for a few minutes. I think you need those times to recover, recoup and get your head back into focus. It really is a normal part of the process of living. But not staying in that element is the hardest part. As a single mother of 8 year old twins, for the first 6 years of their little lives they have been my driving force. Having major deadlines is always a killer for me because I do tend to leave things to the last minute - I work best under the pressure. Besides, my partner Ross, who I swear has ADHD, doesn’t let me stop for a moment!

Where do you get your energy and ideas from?

I have always received my great ideas in my sleep through my dreams. Sometimes I have a lady that will come to visit me and show me an idea or tell me how to do something. I have no idea who this lady is but she always has the energy of the Mother Mary, but dressed in modern clothing. Even as a child in school I always had an active imagination which won me many writing awards throughout my school years.

Energy is a hard thing for me. I have Crohn’s Disease, which can slow me down quite a bit although I have been in remission for many years. I am also anaemic due to being a vegetarian. I tend to like my sleep a lot and when I’m tired I just cannot function. I find my peak hours of the day and I work to my maximum then. I am blessed to have great staff at Embrace which enables me to also take a lot of time off from working at the shop in order to get my work done.

When I work I always like to have a candle lit, do a good meditation beforehand and have a great cup of coffee! Silence is my virtue. I cannot work with the television or radio on. I function best in complete silence. I love that sound.

Is there a quote that has really inspired you in your life?

I know this might sound like a bit of a cliché but I have always loved the quote from Martin Luther King: “I have a dream”! It has always inspired me, just as it offers hope to so many others.

You are a deeply spiritual person, but I am sure you must have people in your life who are not that way, who take a completely material view of life. What do you say to them? Try to convince them, or let them follow their own path?

My partner! He is the love of my life but is not spiritual.I let them live their path and I maintain the spiritual practice that is important to me… prayer, silence and love time.